Oven spatter shield



United States Patent O 3,358,119 OVEN SPATTER SHIELD Charles F. Sisco, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to The Tappan Company, Mansfield, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed July 9, 1965, Ser. No. 470,818 2 Claims. (Cl. 219-391) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The spatter shield for a top electric heating element in an oven in the form of a sheet carrying grooved porcelain blocks at its underside which rest on the element, the element having sections which extend in right angular relation with blocks engaging both to index the shield in placement on the element and preclude sliding movement in either direction.

Disclosure The present invention relates to a spatter shield for removable installation above a top electric heating element in an oven.

In present oven constructions equipped with such an element, a significant problem in cleaning is encountered owing to the manner in which this top or broil element is mounted and spaced from the top wall of the oven. The element is normally closely spaced beneath the oven top wall and extends over a substantial area, thereby making difficult the application of cleaning compounds and devices to the major obscured part of such top wall. It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a highly simplified oven shield which can be readily installed and removed from the area immediately above such a top heating element and between the same and the top wall of the oven, with such shield intercepting material spattered upwardly and thereby preventing undesirable accumulation of grease and the like on the relative inaccessible top wall of the oven cavity.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide such a spatter shield the construction of which permits the same to be positioned directly on and insulated from the top heating element, with the latter serving as the sole supporting means for the shield.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a shield of the type described carrying locating devices which function to automatically and accurately position the shield on the top heating element so as to completely overlie the same.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of an open oven cavity in the upper region thereof, with the spatter shield of the invention being shown in operative position;

FIG. 2 is a simplified sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the top element and shield assembly without the oven structure; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shield looking downwardly thereon, with the body of the shield being broken away to expose one insulating spacing member utilized therewith.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like reference numerals, and initially to FIG. 1, there is illustrated the upper part of an oven cavity 10 having a top wall 11, side walls 12 and 13, respectively, and a back Wall 14. The oven front about the open cavity comprises a top wall portionlS and side portions 16 and 17. Since the oven construction is conventional and forms no part of the present invention, further description thereof is not necessary to full understanding of the present improvements.

A conventional sheathed electric resistance heating element 18 of sinuous configuration is supported horizontally in the oven cavity 10' in close spaced relation to top wall 11 by a transverse supporting rod 19. The rod 19 has upwardly curved end portions 20 and 21 which terminate in mounting plates 22 and 23, respectively, which are generally parallel to the main extent of the rod 19. The mounting plates 22 and 23 are adapted to engage the top wall 11 of the oven cavity and can be mounted thereon in any suitable manner, such as, for example, by screws commonly designated at 24. The supporting rod 19, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, extends transversely across the tops of the convolutions of the heating element 18 and is secured thereto at each region of contact by welding or the like. i I

The opposite ends 25 and 26 of the heating element 18 are also curved upwardly to extend through openings formed in the top wall 11, and terminal connections 27 and 28 are attached to the outer exposed ends of the resistance wire in the usual manner. Mounting plates 29 and 30, respectively, are attached to the end portions 25 and 26 of the sheathed element for mounting the same on the top wall, with screws commonly designated at 31 preferably employed for each attachment.

This arrangement of the top or broil element 18 within the oven cavity obviously makes cleaning of the top Wall relatively difficult and inconvenient, and, in accordance with the present invention, a rectangular heat-resistant spatter shield generally indicated at 32 is constructed and arranged for removable disposition above the heating element to protect the top wall. The shield 32 is preferably formed of aluminized steel and comprises a main body portion 33, a rear upturned flange 34, a generally central top transverse rib 35, and forward downturned flanges 36, 37 and 38. The flange 3-7 is rearwardly oifset relative to the flanges 36 and 38, as shown, and the central rib 35 will be disposed immediately above the main section of the supporting rod 19 when the shield is in operative position.

Plural non-conductive and thermally insulative support members are mounted on the shield body 33 for insulating and spacing the same from the heating element -18, which, as noted, provides the entire support for the shield. Thus, two such members 39 and 40 are located adjacent the rear edge of the shield and two more members 41 and 42 are positioned adjacent the front edge of the shield. All of these members, preferabl made of porcelain, are aflixed to the shield body by rivets commonly indicated at 43 or other fasteners.

The rear members 39 and 40 extend generally parallel to the long dimension of the shield, whereas the front members 41 and 42 extend transversely thereto. Each such members, as perhaps best shown in FIG. 4, is formed with a cylindrical transverse recess 44 of a radius slightly larger than that of the bearing element 18 and has rounded outer corners. The recesses thus formed in the rear members 39 and 40 receive the opposite end lengths of the heating element 18 close to the upwardly curved portions 25 and 26, while recesses of the front members 41 and 42 receive the curved sections 46 and 47 of the end heater conVolutions, as shown in FIG. 3. It will thus be noted that the front members 41 and 42 serve to locate the shield 32 front to rear on the element 18, with the rear members 39 and 40 positioning the shield from left to right, or 'side to side, in placement or installation of the shield. This support of the shield obviously restrains it against sliding movement on the element in any direction. Also as shown in FIG. 3, the shield 32 completely overlies the heating element.

To position the shield on the heating element, the shield is of course merely inserted in the oven cavity above the heating element 18, lowered on the latter, with the insulating members 39-42 guiding the shield to the proper resting position. The shield is removed by lifting until the bottoms of the members 39-42 are clear of the heating element 18, with the shield then drawn out the front of the oven for cleaning.

The flanges 34, 36, 37 and 38 of the shield, and the transverse rib 35 impart stilfening to the body to permit thin stock to be used. The front flanges, particularly the foremost flanges 36 and 38 additionally facilitate hand manipulation of the shield, with the intermediate edge at the occurrence of flange 37 being inset as not requiring the side projections for the attachment of the members 41 and 42. The center rib 35 also maintains the spacing or clearance of the shield at the traverse of the rod 19, as most clearly shown in FIG. 2.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In combination with an oven having an elongated sheathed electric resistance heating element in spaced horizontal disposition below the interior top of the oven, said element having first and second sections which are substantially in right angle relation, a readily removable spatter shield for the top of the oven interposed between said heating element and the top, said shield comprising a generally-rectangular sheet made of heat resist-ant material and having an area at least as large as that of the heating element, and a plurality of support members attached to and projecting from the underside of said sheet for engagement with, and spaced support of the sheet on, the heating element, the element-engaging part of each support member being shaped to partially embrace the element, with the sheet through said members resting on the element and disengaged for removal by lifting therefrom, at least one of said members being thus engaged with each of said first and second sections for guiding of the sheet in placement thereof on the element and restricting shield from sliding thereon.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein the support members are made of electricinsulation material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,536,613 1/1951 Schulze et a1 219399 X 2,848,592 8/1958 Mergen 219395 X 2,898,437 8/1959 McFarland 219-391 X 3,081,392 3/1963 Warner 219-391 X RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

C. ALBRITTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH AN OVEN HAVING AN ELONGATED SHEATHED ELECTRIC RESISTANCE HEATING ELEMENT IN SPACED HORIZONTAL DISPOSITION BELOW THE INTERIOR TOP OF THE OVEN, SAID ELEMENT HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY IN RIGHT ANGLE RELATION, A READIALY REMOVABLE SPATTER SHIELD FOR THE TOP OF THE OVEN INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID HEATING ELEMENT AND TOP, SAID SHIELD COMPRISING A GENERALLY-RECTANGULAR SHEET MADE OF HEAT RESISTANT MATERIAL AND HAVING AN AREA AT LEAST AS LARGE AS THAT OF THE HEATING ELEMENT, AND A PLURALITY OF SUPPORT MEMBERS ATTACHED TO AND PROJECTING FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID SHEET FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH, AND SPACED SUPPORT OF THE SHEET ON, THE HEATING ELEMENT, THE ELEMENT-ENGAGING PART OF EACH SUPPORT MEMBER BEING SHAPED TO PARTIALLY EMBRACE THE ELEMENT, WITH THE SHEET THROUGH SAID MEMBERS RESTING ON THE ELEMENT AND DISENGAGED FOR REMOVAL BY LIFTING THEREFROM, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID MEMBERS BEING THUS ENGAGED WITH EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS FOR GUIDING OF THE SHEET IN PLACEMENT THEREOF ON THE ELEMENT AND RESTRICTING SHIELD FROM SLIDING THEREON. 